Walter Wilson on Hurrion

In his History and Antiquities of Dissenting Churches and Meeting Houses

John Hurrion. - This excellent Divine descended from a good family in Suffolk, and was grandson, by the mother's side, to Mr. Edmund Whincop, the ejected minister of Layston, but afterwards pastor of a congregational church at Wattesfield, in that county. Of his immediate parents, and of the place of his birth, we have no information, but the last event took place about the year 1675. In his younger years, he was brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; and having experienced the grace of God himself, he thought it his duty to give himself up to the work of the ministry, that he might bring others to know those things which he found to be of the utmost importance. He was sensible that this was a work of labour, and therefore devoted himself to a course of unwearied study. He was educated for the ministry partly under Mr. Robinson, of Walpole, in Suffolk; but the names of his other tutors have not reached us. Mr. Hurrion was never more delighted than when he could apply himself to the increase of knowledge, without interruption; and this desire for improvement continued to the last. When he was scarcely able to walk across a room, he would spend many hours at close study, and seemed never better than when in this manner employed. He carefully and diligently searched the scriptures, and read over with great attention, many bodies of divinity, comparing them with the oracles of divine truth. He also consulted the best commentators. Amongst these, he had a particular esteem for John of Constantinople, commonly called Chrysostom, and he was pleased with the extracts which were made from him by Theophylact. Mr. Hurrion's great abilities being accompanied by a sanctified understanding and judgment, he acquired a good degree of knowledge as to the truths of the gospel, and the controversies relating to them; insomuch that it may be said of him, he was as judicious and accomplished a Divine as any that appeared in his age. (Ab. Taylor's Ace. of Mr. Hurrion, affixed to his Sermon upon hit death, p. 6, 7.)
Mr. Hurrion entered early upon the work of the ministry, and about the year 1696, settled at Denton, in Norfolk, as successor to Mr. William Bidbank, the ejected minister of Scottow, in that county. Not long afterwards, he entered into the married state with Jane, daughter of Samuel Baker, of Wattesfield-Hall, Esq. a gentleman of considerable influence among the Dissenters in that county. The interest at Denton, at the time of his settlement there, was in a low and declining condition; but by the blessing of God upon his labours, it was brought into a very flourishing state. His great abilities gained him also a large share in the affections and esteem of several other churches in that and the neighbouring county. (Dr. Ridgley's Sermon on the death of Mr. Hurrion, p. 36)
During his residence at Denton, he applied himself with indefatigable diligence to his studies, which, with his abundant labours, confining himself to a very spare diet, and using no exercise, brought on a severe fever, and laid the foundation of that languid and uneasy distemper which terminated his life. (Ab.Taylor's Sermon, p. 18) During the early part of his residence at Denton, Mr. Hurrion was engaged in a private controversy upon the subject of our Lord's divinity, with Mr. William Manning, a nonconformist minister at Peasenhall, in the same county, and who had adopted the Socinian side of the question. Mr. Manning, who was a gentleman of considerable natural abilities, and a subtle disputant, had been the occasion, some years before, of effecting a change in the views of the famous Mr. Thomas Emlyn, during his residence at Leostoff. (Biog. Brit. Art. Emlyn).  As Mr. Hurrion was growing into considerable repute amongst the Dissenters in his part of the county, Mr. Manning justly thought, that if he could gain him over, he would be a considerable acquisition to his party. He therefore made strong attempts for that purpose. This put Mr. Hurrion upon studying the controversy, of which he became complete master; and the result was his thorough establishment in the doctrine of the Trinity. The opportunity this afforded him of entering upon the study of this important subject, yielded him great satisfaction; and the more so as but few persons in his part of the county had attended to it; and he lived to see the day when opposition to that doctrine grew more common. It was an observation which he used to make, that whether the Trinity was opposed or no, young Divines could not take a better way to fit themselves for public service, than to be rooted and grounded in that important doctrine. When called afterwards to engage in controversy upon this subject, he discovered singular ability in defending the point of our Lord's divinity, and particularly the deity of the Holy Spirit, in some elaborate discourses upon that subject. (Ab. Taylor's Sermon, p. 7, 8).
Mr. Hurrion's station at Denton was as easy and as agreeable as could well be desired; his ministry was very successful, and he was esteemed a great blessing by all the Dissenters in those parts. It was, therefore, not without a great deal of deliberation, that he left the country to serve a church in London. Mr. Nesbitt being rendered unable to perform any part of the ministerial work, the church at Hare-court, gave Mr. Hurrion an unanimous invitation to become his successor. His compliance with this call was considered by many persons as a very unadvised step; but it appears from his diary, that before he determined upon it, he kept between twenty and thirty fasts, to seek direction from God in that affair. That which influenced him chiefly was the hope that his ministry being employed in a different part of the world, a new scene of usefulness might be opened. He was also greatly desirous to prevent a breach which it was much feared would take place in the society that called him, in case he refused to comply. His expectations, with regard to ministerial usefulness, however, were far from being fulfilled. His popularity in London was by no means so great as it had been in the country. It was also a great unhappiness to him, that his frequent illness, and his unwieldy habit of body rendered him unable to go amongst his people, and incapable of receiving many visits from them. It was probably upon this account that many of his people conducted themselves with coolness towards him, which gave him great uneasiness. The weight with which this circumstance pressed upon his spirits, induced him sometimes to think of relinquishing his charge; and he would probably have effected his design, had he not have apprehended that it would not be long before the chief Shepherd granted him a general discharge from all service below. (Ab. Taylor's Sermon, p. 16-20).

Mr. Hurrion settled in London in the year 1724, and he met with a share of attention and respect from many worthy and judicious persons, to which his great merits justly entitled him. In 1726, he was chosen one of the Merchants' lecturers, at Pinners'-Hall, and preached his first sermon in that place on the 11th of June, in the same year. In the following year he published Eight Sermons, on "The Knowledge of Christ, and him crucified," preached at that lecture; and some other discourses which he delivered there, were published after his death. In 1730, he was nominated, together with eight other ministers, by Mr. Coward, to deliver a course of sermons at Lime-Street, on some important doctrines of the gospel. The subject allotted to Mr. Hurrion for discussion, was, "The scripture doctrine of Particular Redemption," in four sermons; but he delivered only two of them, being prevented by illness from finishing his plan; he was enabled, however, after a short revival, to transcribe three of them for the press, which he completed about a fortnight before his death; and his friend, Dr. Abraham Taylor, added the fourth from his papers.

Mr. Hurrion possessed but a bad constitution of body, and for some years his health was very much impaired. He had an uncommonly unwieldy body, and the prevalence of the dropsy, a faint and cumbersome distemper, rendered his life very troublesome. To accelerate this complaint, his mode of living, while in the country, greatly contributed. He addicted himself very much to a recluse and sedentary life, seldom appearing in public, excepting on the Lord's days, and associating with his family no more than the necessary duties devolving on the head of it required. This greatly injured his health, and the want of proper exercise brought on a confluence of humours that undermined his constitution, and rendered him a burthen to himself. Yet, under all his bodily distempers, his mind was vigorous and active; and he possessed a surprising cheerfulness of temper. During the seven years that he preached in London, his infirm constitution rendered him very unfit for the constant discharge of his ministerial work; and when he engaged in public, it was oftentimes with more bodily uneasiness than words could express. But even at this period, such was the vigour of his mind, and his thirst after learning, that his application to study was unremitted. He employed his time chiefly in reading the Divines of the ancient church, whom he was satisfied none could despise but such as were unacquainted with them. His afflictions, which were his daily monitors, made him mindful of his great change. He would sometimes compare himself to a ship that had passed through many storms and tempests, but was now drawing near to its desired haven. When in the more immediate prospect of death, he often expressed his entire resignation to the will of God, without the least murmuring or repining thought, concluding that God knew what was best for him. The frame of his spirit was even and composed; not lifted up in an extraordinary manner, with transport and raptures of joy on the one hand; nor, on the other, cast down, or sinking under the weight of fear and dejection of spirit. He desired it should be communicated to the world, that he died in the firm persuasion and belief of those great doctrines which he had preached and maintained, without the least hesitation, and that he found more comfort from them in his last sickness, than ever he had done before. These were the guide, rule, and support of his faith in life; and ii pleased God to send him great relief from them in the hour of death. (Dr. Ridgley and Ab. Taylor's Sermons, ubi supra.)

Mr. Hurrion departed this life on the 31st of December, 1731, in the 56th year of his age, having been engaged in the work of the ministry, and particularly in that of a pastor, for thirty-six years. Dr. Ridgley preached his funeral sermon, from John v. 35. and another was delivered on the same occasion, by Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Abraham Taylor, from 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. Both these discourses were published, and contain a particular account of the deceased.

Mr. Hurrion possessed qualifications for a Divine inferior to few ministers m his day. He was favoured with bright natural parts, a quick apprehension, and a solid judgment; and he was enabled by divine grace to improve his great natural abilities to the most beneficial purposes. By close study and diligent investigation, he became well versed in the doctrines of the gospel, which he unfolded with great ability, both from the pulpit and the press. He was a thorough master of the controversies between the Calvinists on the one hand, and the Arminians and Antinomiaus on the other; and he possessed great courage in defending what he apprehended to be the truth. He appears, from his publications, to have been a close reasoner, and very capable of exhausting a subject. His style is natural, unaffected and manly; possessing a gravity without dullness, and smartness that never degenerates into levity. His pulpit talents were very considerable. He had a strong masculine voice, free from a disagreeable tone, and a false pathos. In the delivery of his discourses he was unaffected, and their matter was substantial. When he insisted on practical subjects, he addressed himself with great plainness to the consciences of men; and in recommending the doctrines of the gospel, he used the greatest strength of argument with the view of establishing his hearers in the faith once delivered to the saints. Upon the whole, he was justly considered an agreeable, as well as a judicious preacher. In his conversation he was heavenly and blameless, in all things acting as one who had experienced the grace of God bringing salvation. His integrity in avowing, and his courage in defending, the doctrines he embraced, were very conspicuous. He disdained concealing his sentiments from the fear of offending man; nor would he compromise what he thought to be the truth, for the sake of gaining the applause of moderation. He said, he had lived to see the day, when it was, by such as should know better, reckoned folly to appear openly in behalf of the truth; but he declared, that "whatever others did, he would, without baulking the cause, serve his Lord, and if this was to be vile, he resolved, as long as he had breath, to be more vile;" adding, "he could not but think, that if others had tasted as much of the sweetness of the exalted Redeemer's love, as he had, they would desire to be as open and zealous for his cause, as he aimed to be. However, the best wish he could bestow on all ministers of the gospel was, that when they came to look death in the face, as he did, they might have as much pleasure as he had, in reflecting on his having kept the faith, and never been ashamed of his Master's name and cause." This was some months before his decease, when he did not expect to be continued so long as he was. (Dr. Ridgley's and Ab. Taylor's Sermons on the death of Mr. Hurrion).

Of Mr. Hurrion's publications, his eight sermons at Pinners'-Hall, on " The Knowledge of Christ, and him crucified," in one volume, octavo, and his four sermons at the Lime-Street lecture, on "Particular Redemption," have been already mentioned. Besides these, he published in his life-time, we believe, only two single sermons, and both on funeral occasions. One, while he was at Denton, for Mrs. Esther Thompson, entitled, "The Hope and Resurrection of the Dead," from 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14. the other on the death of his predecessor, the Rev. John Nesbitt, entitled, "The Christian's hidden Life," from Colos. iii. 3. 1727. After his death, his friend, Mr. Abraham Taylor, presented the public with another volume of his Sermons, entitled, "The Scripture Doctrine of the proper Divinity, real Personality, and the extraordinary Works of the Holy Spirit, stated and defended in Sixteen Sermons, delivered at the Merchants' Lecture, at Pinners'-Hall, in the years 1729, 1730, and 1731." With a preface by Ab. Taylor, 1734.
Mr. Hurrion left behind him two sons, who were both educated for the ministry, under Dr. Ridgley. Mr. John Hurrion, the eldest, preached many years at Gosport, and has been noticed in this work. Mr. Samuel Hurrion, the younger son, was ordained at Guestwick, in Norfolk, Sept. 26, 1733; and continued there till 1754, when a bad state of health obliged him to resign. He retired first to Bungay, and then to Beccles, in Suffolk, where he died on the 25th of October, 1763, aged 53 years, and was buried at Denton, his native town. Mr. Hurrion had likewise a grandson, who was a Dissenting minister at Southwold, in Essex.